Hydraulic despotism is a term for despotic rule supported by control of a single, necessary resource. The term was coined by the German theorist Karl A. Wittfogel in his work, Oriental Despotism in 1957. In its original instances, it was literally water that was controlled - in Ancient Egypt and Babylonia, (as by extension, Wittfogel argued, the contemporary Soviet Union and People's Republic of China) the government controlled the irrigation channels. Good, loyal subjects received plentiful water for their crops, while less-loyal "bad" subjects were starved of water so that they and their crops died. The term can be used to indicate any tyrannical rule propped up by control of a vital resource. Whether this term can apply to a (near-)monopoly on something more esoteric, for example technology development, is debatable. Despotism is government by a singular authority, either a single person or tightly knit group, which rules with absolute power. ... A hydraulic empire (also known as a hydraulic despotism or a water monopoly empire) arises through the need for flood control and irrigation, which requires central coordination and gives rise to a specialized bureaucracy. ... A girl in a swimming pool Water (from the Old English waeter; c. ... Ancient Egypt was an African civilization located along the upper Nile, reaching from the Nile Delta in the north to as far south as Jebel Barkal at the Fourth Cataract of the Nile at the time of its greatest extension (15th century BC). ... Babylonia, named for its capital city, Babylon, was an ancient state in the south part of Mesopotamia (in modern Iraq), combining the territories of Sumer and Akkad. ... Agriculture (a term which encompasses farming) is the art, science or practice of producing food, feed, fiber and many other desired goods by the systematic raising of plants and animals. ... In economics, a monopoly (from the Greek monos, one + polein, to sell) is defined as a persistent market situation where there is only one provider of a kind of product or service. ... } the surface of the planet for the first time and explore space. ...

In fiction

Frank Herbert's Dune establishes a universe centered on a hydraulic despotism: The spice, Melange, is essential for, among other things, space travel; it is said that "He who controls the spice controls the universe". Frank Herbert (1920 - 1986) Frank Patrick Herbert (October 8, 1920 – February 11, 1986) was a critically and commercially successful American science fiction author. ... Dune is a science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert and published in 1965. ... Melange is the name of the fictional spice drug that is central to the Dune series of science fiction novels by Frank Herbert. ...

In the film Total Recall, the air on Mars is controlled by a central authority, which acts as a hydraulic despot. Total Recall is an American science fiction film released on June 1, 1990 starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Ronald Shusett & Dan OBannon and Gary Goldman. ... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system, named after the Roman god of war (the counterpart of the Greek Ares), on account of its blood red color as viewed in the night sky. ...

In the comic strip Tank Girl, the water and power are controlled by a central authority ("Water & Power"). Tank Girl was a 1990s English comic strip and the name of the leading character. ...

See also

• Hydraulic empire
• Oriental despotism